Itel Mobile is a household name known all around Africa, but only a few of its users have heard of the marketing tricks, inspiring brand campaigns, meticulously researched consumer culture, business plots and resilient characters that transformed the Chinese manufacturer into a global brand.
From its humble beginnings to its spectacular takeovers and accomplishments, the itel brand has come a long way since it was founded in 2007 and this is the gripping tale that unravels the heart of the story from which an iconic phone brand emerged.
A group of visionaries recognized the need to create a technological system that provided smartphone for everyone for people at a cost-effective price without compromising on the quality of the products.
They set up $10 million valuable testing labs with 200+ tests for material, 27 tests for assembly process and 300+ special tests to stimulate all kinds of climates, usage scenario & habits of their main focus – Africa. With a driving ambition to get close to consumers and understand their needs and expectations in various ways, they birthed itel Mobile in 2007, with a mantra to join and enjoy the best of mobile communication services.
From its inception, itel mobile started spreading its presence in over 45 countries across the globe. In 2016, itel sold a landmark of 50 million devices, placing them among the top 3 mobile brands in Africa. Every itel handset comes with 12 months of reliable after-sales service; with 1800+ service centers and 2,100+ professionals to adequately cater to the mobile phone needs of the people.
Coming into a competitive space such as the consumer electronics industry, itel whose business strategy spun around being a low-cost provider, faced a critical challenge of being a low-quality alternative. In 2009, itel combined its technological prowess with groundbreaking interactive and immersive consumer communication campaigns to address this issue, as it reached a sales record of 1 million.
Being a customer-centric brand has set itel from its competitors. It has positioned its products as technologically advanced problem solvers through its Android, selfie, and Max-power devices. In 2018, itel Mobile was recognized as the 16th most-admired brands in Africa. That same year, its best-selling monster battery smartphone, itel P32 was honored as the best big battery smartphone by US famous tech media Android Authority.